Beautiful Word Devotional #308

“No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

John 3:3

Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee, an expert in Jewish law, “a member of the Jewish ruling council,” and that is why he approached Jesus in the shadow of night with his questions about salvation. Jesus responded with today’s verse about being born again. It’s hard to imagine how perplexing Nicodemus found these words.

The question he asked reveals how puzzled he was: “How can someone be born when they are old? . . . Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (3:4). Nicodemus heard Jesus’ words literally.

But Jesus was saying that to be saved, we have to undergo a radical transformation, one so complete that it’s as if we have been given a new heart for a brand-new approach to life. We can’t make this happen. Only by committing ourselves to Christ—only by following his pattern of death (dying to our self, our wishes, our control of our life), then resurrection (surrendering our life to Jesus) can we be born again.

Lord, thank you for choosing me to be born again into your eternal kingdom, amen.